Curb signaling device



May 30, 1961 D. FREEs ErAL CURB SIGNALING DEVICE Filed July 16, 1959Irina/56' United States Patent O n CURB SIGNALING DEVICE David Frees,Encino, and Edwin L. Schwartz, Los Angeles, Calif., assignors to SutoneCorporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed July16, 1959, Ser. No. 827,624

Claims. (Cl. 116-28) This invention relates to audible curb signalingdevices for motor vehicles and more particularly to adjustably mounteddual exible antennae warning of approach to either a high or low curb.

The prior artA and the automobile accessory industry is replete withdisclosures and examples of single flexible curb-warning devices thatgive the driver an audible signal of his position with respect to thecurbing. These earlier devices are useful and they are adjustedinitially in a general attempt to take care of any parking situationwith respect to high and low curbs.

Unless the conventional single curb guard is set suffciently low toscrape a low curb, it overrides the curband thus fails as a signalingdevice, except as against high curbs. If the standard single exibleantenna is disposed at considerable length from the car body yto engageeither a low or high curb, then the driver is warned away from safedesirable close parking against av low curb.

Proper adjustment of the well-known single resonant antenna to permitparking close to a low curb results in dangerous close parking against ahigh curb. The adjacent high curb parking situation prevents car dooropening and consequently a safety hazard because the occupants areforced to descend on the traic side.

The prior art and well known signaling accessories fail completely insolving the curb parking problem that is presented by the design oftodays motor vehicles. Thus, with fairly low fenders that projectoutwardly Vseveral inches beyond the tires, it is necessary to protectagainst high curbs that may scratch and scrape the fender withouttouching the tire. For this reason among others, a car must be parked agreater distance away from a high curb than from a low curb which canonly scrape or rub the side of the tires.

This invention overcomes the deficiencies of prior structures byproviding a novel driver alarm device that will permit safe parkingclose to a low curb but will warn against a dangerous position near ahigh curb, and thus indicate a sutcient off-curb parking space to permitopening the door safely. i

It is a primary object of the invention to provide a device that willsignal safe parking position near a low curb and will also prevent tooclose parking near a high curb or obstruction.

Another object of the invention is to provide two angularly disposedaudible antennae, one of which will warn the driver of a low curbposition and the other of which will signal the driver to a safe parkingdistance from a high curb.

Still another object of the invention is to provide mechanism forangularly adjusting low and high curb signaling antennae that willpermit close parking against a low curb and warn against close parkingto a high curb.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a device of the classdescribed, dual adjustable indexing dej 2,986,113 Patented May 30, 1961f'ice vices for angularly positioning the flexible, audible antennae.

Other objects will become apparent in the ensuing specication andappended drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a motor vehicle with curb signalingdevice attached thereto;

Figure 2 is a rear elevational View in partial section taken on the line2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the attachment bracket andindexing mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the improved curbwarning device has been attached to the rea-r edge of a front rightautomobile fender F. The position of fender or body attachment is merelya matter of choice because the device is designed to protect bothfenders and body inasmuch as they become a unit in modern cars.

A pair of angularly disposed curb warning antennae have indications Lfor the lower curb scraping element and H for the high curb contactingmember. The two antennae L and H are exactly the same in constructionand only one will be described.

An elongated narrow metal strip 10 is twisted in a torsional manner on alongitudinal axis to form a ilexible rod or antenna L or H, havingcontiguous spiraling edges 11. A solid curb scraping tip 12 is pressedon the outer end of the twisted metal strip 10. The construction ofantennae L and H may be conventional as far as this invention isconcerned. When attached to the motor vehicle body M, they actas'audible curb signalling devices whose vibrations are transmittedtherefrom through the metal fender to the motor car body which tends toact as a sounding board. Thus, theY alarm is transmitted to the driver.

A supporting bracket for the flexible audible antennae L and H areprovided in the following mechanism: a bracket B is comprised of aU-shaped yoke 13 which has a reduced web 14 and a pair of legs 15 and 16disposed at right angles thereto. The leg 15 has a plurality of threadedapertures 17 therein. A pair of threaded screws 18 and 18a respectivelyare optionally engageable in any of the apertures 17 to 'clamp a fender,body section or flange against leg 16, and thus firmly attach the deviceto the fender F or motor car body M.

The antennae supporting mechanism is generallyV referred to as S andincludes the following elements: two ears 20' and 21 respectively areformed integral with web 14 and bent laterally therefrom at right anglesthereto. The ears 20 and 21 are disposed in parallel relationship andare apertured at their ends 22 and 23 respectively. 'A small boltreceiving spacing cylinder 24 is placed between lthe outer ends of theears Ztl and 21 in alignment with the apertures 22 and23. A series ofserrations 25 and 26 respectively on the ends of the cylinder 24 engagea plurality of complemental radial serrations 27 and 28 respectively onthe inner sides of ears 20 and 21 and thus fixedly support the cylinder24 in the ears 20 and 21.

A threaded attachment bolt 29 having a nut 30 is carried in theapertured ears 20 and 21 respectively and the xed small spacing cylinder24. Dual supports for antennae L and H include a pair of attachment andspacing arms 31 and 32 respectively which have integrally connected,right angularly disposed antennae supporting sections 33 and 34respectively. The sections 33 and 34 are clamped firmly about the innerends of the antenna L and H as best seen in Figure 4. The attachmentarms 31 and 32 are apertured at 35 and 36 respectively for reception onthe threaded bolt 29 exteriorly of the ears 20 and V21. The arms 31 and32 have a pair of similarly stamped circular sections 37 and 38respectively about the apertures 35 and 36. The peripheral edges of thestamped sections 37 and 38 have inwardly disposed serrations 39 and 40respectively. `Mounted on bolt -29 are dual star washers 41 and 42respectively which 'are seated in the serrated stamped sections 37 and38 of adjustable attachment arms 31 and 32. The bolt 28'secures thesupporting assembly S by being screwed tightly therein. The assembly isfurther xedly connected by tightening the nut 30.

The disposition of star washers 41 and 42 in the serrated stampedsections 37 and 38 of attachment arms 31 and 32 respectively provides apositive locking mechanism that is essential to the present device. Theadjustable locking mechanism for the dual antennae resides primarily inthe association of th'e antennae supports 31 and 32 with the tixedlypositioned 'ears'20 and'21 and the associated serrated adjustablelockingelements 37"and 38 and star washers 41 and 42 respectively.

The operation of the device is simple. Attachment bracket B is fashionedto straddle different types of fender and body flanges and the pluraladjustment apertures and dual clamping screws permit optional engagementon the car body as desired.

The ilexible resonant antennae are then angularly adjusted to absolutefixed positions so that the antenna L will scrape a low curb with themotor vehicle body closely adjacent thereto, but with tires T preventedfrom rubbing or overunning the curb. The antenna H as shown in Figure 2overrides the low curb at this time. However, in Figure 2 the antenna Hmay engage a high curb and the driver is therefore warned to parkfarther away for protection of the car body and to permit space to openthe curb-side door.

Adjustment of the dual flexible resonant antennae is accompanied asbefore described by releasing and/or tightening the bolt 29 and nut 30with respect to the indexing mechanism and manual setting of the antennain absolute fixed position.

The antennae L and H are subject to the most vigorous usage and curbattacks. lt is necessary that their degree of adjustment, different ineach car, be absolute in each case and to this end the supporting andadjustment mechanism, herein descibed, has been carefully designed.Adjustment of each antenna to the proper angle to suit any condition ofuse is possible with the present interlocking elements, which arereadily movable to correct adjustable position before the nal absolutetightening operation.

While the form of the invention shown and described is fully capable ofachieving the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated,it will be realized that variations are possible without departure fromthe spirit of the invention. For this reason it is not intended to limitthe invention to the form shown and described but rather to the scope ofthe appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a high or low curb signaling device, means for supporting a pairof independently adjustable antennae,

' and including: a bracket for detachable mounting on a motor vehiclebody; dual ears, on said bracket; a iixedly mounted spacing cylinderbetween said ears; a locking bolt and nut carried in said ears and saidcylinder; serrated antenna arms on said bolt; and star washers on saidbolt having interlocking association with said arms.

2. A device for mounting a pair of independently adjustable curbsignalling antennae, comprising: a bracket for detachable mounting on amotor vehicle body or fender portions thereof; dual ears on saidbracket; a spacing cylinder interlocked between said ears; an antennaattachment and release member carried by said ears and said cylinder;`and dual serrated antenna supports and associated star washersoppositely disposed on said ears and said attachment member for manualangular adjustment and positive interlock therewith.

3. A curb signaling device, comprising: a bracket for detachablemounting on a motor vehicle body or fender portions thereof; dual curbantennae having apertured inner attachment arms; and manually operablelocking and releasing mechanism permitting independent angularadjustment of said antennae to project against high or low curbsincluding, dual ears projecting from said bracket, a spacing cylinderlocked between said ears, a threaded bolt carried in said ears andcylinder, and an interlocking connecting means between said attachmentarms and said ears and said bolt whereby said antennae may be adjustedand maintained in desired angular curb projection.

4. A device for mounting a pair of independently adjustable curbsignalling antennae including: a bracket for detachable mounting on amotor vehicle body or fender portions thereof; an antenna supportconnected to said bracket; oppositely disposed antenna attached armspivotally mounted onsaid support, said arms being independentlyadjustable and each holding an independent antenna; and interlockingmechanism engaging and jointly connecting said arms on said support.

5. A supporting means for detachable mounting on a motor vehicle bodyand adapted to hold a pair of independently adjustable curb signallingantennae, said means including: a bracket; spaced ears projecting fromsaid bracket; a fixed spacing cylinder therebetween; a threaded bolt andnut mounting in said ears and cylinder; dual spacing supports clamped tothe body ends of said antennae and apertured for mounting on said bolt,said supports having adjustment indexes about said apertures; and dualindexing washers on said bolt and engaging said indexed antennaesupports permitting optional angular adjustment of said resonantantennae into projected engagement with either a high or low curb.

References Cited in the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,642,830 Aves June 23, 1953 2,731,935 Aves Jan. 24, 1956

